Will Smith and Martin Lawrence promise “Bad Boys: Ride or Die ”is 'what a summer movie is supposed to be'

"We want it to feel nostalgic, but we also want the characters to be going through and experiencing things that are age-appropriate," Smith says.

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Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when fate comes for you?

That twist on the classic lyrics is what brought Will Smith and Martin Lawrence back for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, their third time reteaming since first starring together in Bad Boys nearly 30 years ago.

"I'm very excited about this one," Smith tells Entertainment Weekly about the fourth installment in the buddy cop franchise. "We want it to feel nostalgic, but we also want the characters to be experiencing things that are age-appropriate and experience-appropriate. It's a challenge to keep it fun and keep it exciting and make sure that the popcorn part is enjoyable, but also letting it be gourmet popcorn. It is popcorn, but it's definitely got some special sauce on it."

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (in theaters June 7) flips the script on career detectives Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Lawrence), forcing them to work on the other side of the law when their late captain (Joe Pantoliano) — who died in a shocking twist in 2020's Bad Boys For Life — is posthumously framed in a massive corruption conspiracy. The duo must go on the run to clear his name and legacy, as well as their own reputations — and Smith promises it's "what a summer movie is supposed to be."

"That's the thing that is important [in making] another one: It has to have an emotional base that is interesting and riveting, not just trying to blow some stuff up," Smith explains. "At this point in my life, I need the movies to be about something. Part of why Bad Boys works for people is at the heart of it is friendship. At the heart of it is love. At the heart of it is a relationship, and it's the kind of relationship that we all wish we had, somebody that will ride or die with us and for us."

But three decades later, that friendship has to evolve. "We're trying to expand on what that would mean at this age when people start growing apart and they start wanting different things," Smith says. "You've got 30 years worth of friendship that, for me, it is important in these movies that it gets jeopardized and there is some part of it that has a deeper idea about life, about love, about friendship, about fear. And this one is about fate and what is the part that fate actually plays in the building of a friendship, in a building of life."

While Smith doesn't want to give away "the big surprise," he does reveal that Mike is feeling "really deep guilt" over the loss of Captain Howard, and "both of the characters are going through really powerful changes in their lives." Lawrence teases that Marcus will be acting differently than he ever has before.

"Each one of these films provides something new and different," Lawrence says. "This time Marcus has an experience that allows him to be bolder and take more risks, so we see him in a lot of situations that aren't as 'safe' as in previous films."

One of those unsafe situations comes about in a comedic way, as seen in EW's exclusive photo from the movie (below) where Mike and Marcus get caught up in a convenience store robbery. "I think by this film everyone knows Marcus loves his snacks," Lawrence says. "Mike and Marcus were on their way out and running late, but Marcus needs snacks and nobody is going to get in the way of that. Marcus has Mike pull over so I can run into the store, and just when Marcus is about to get the goods, the store gets held up so Marcus has to handle business."

While the movie continues to deliver the comedic action fans have come to love from this franchise, it also raises the dramatic stakes by reframing Captain Howard's legacy as a potential dirty cop — and, as a result, Mike and Marcus' careers are put in jeopardy.

"We went back and looked at the three movies and laid in the storyline of the fourth movie from things set up in the previous movies," Smith says. "Captain Howard was working on a case that we had mentioned in Bad Boys 2, so the movie picks up on things that were just tiny seeds in Bad Boys 2 and Bad Boys 3. Captain Howard's character is being framed with 20 years of crimes and work with cartels, and his entire legacy is being destroyed by rogue factions within the Miami PD, and in the process, the Bad Boys are also framed."

When Mike and Marcus ultimately go on the run, they turn to an unlikely ally: Mike's newly-discovered criminal son Armando (Jacob Scipio), who first appeared in the third movie. "Mike Lowrey's son plays a really critical part in saving the legacy of the Bad Boys and of Captain Howard," Smith says. "Jacob better get ready to have a really, really good summer because his life is never going to be the same after this movie. He has such a powerful role in this film."

Because Armando has extensive knowledge of the cartels due to being raised believing his father was a criminal, Mike convinces his incarcerated son to help bring down the cartels and clear his name. "In the process, [that] purifies their relationship," Smith says. "Mike is trying to repair his past with his son and the loss of the captain, and there's even a sense that Mike has that he might be cursed. He says, 'Bad s--- happens to everybody I love,' and it's part of why he's had a difficult time having any love and any friendships other than Marcus. So this is about him trying to develop a ride or die relationship with his son too."

With so many emotional stakes on the line for their characters and the franchise as a whole, Smith and Lawrence are relieved that they were able to finish filming this movie despite multiple production delays.

"We started making this movie prior to both the writers' strike and the actors' strike, and we didn't know if we were going to be shut down full-time and when," Lawrence says. "Once we were shut down and came home, we didn't know when we were going back. It was great to finally finish this film and get it to the fans — what you have here in this film is a true labor of love."

Or fate.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.